April 30, 2015 VOLU M E 70 | I S S UE 25 | 5 0 ¢
WestminsterWindow.com
A D A M S C O U N T Y A N D J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O A publication of
SLHS senior earns Boettcher scholarship Gutierrez headed to DU with a full ride By Ashley Reimers
areimers@colorado communitymedia.com As a teacher at Standley Lake High School, it’s typical for Ben Reed to come across students with pretty high ambitions. But none compare to senior Chaye Gutierrez. “I have kids with hopes and dreams, but Chaye has something more than those kids,” said Reed, who teaches English and journalism. “Instead of hoping to make a difference, she’s out there doing it. Kids say they’re going to change the world, but the thing about Chaye is that she is already doing that in real, tangible ways.” Reed has seen the difference Gutierrez has made in her school and the Westmin-
ster community through her work on The Lake, Standley Lake’s news magazine. She’s tackled tough topics, including the murder of Jessica Ridgeway and the attempted suicide of a student in January 2014. Gutierrez also covers the Jefferson County school board, reporting on recent teacher sickouts and student walk-outs. She’s also the president of PeaceJam at her school, which runs Day Without Hate, a student led, grassroots organization that promotes nonviolence, unity, and respect in schools. Gutierrez is enrolled in the IB Program at Standley Lake and is a member of National Honor Society. Her dedication to academics and activities in school earned her the merit-based Boettcher Foundation Scholarship, providing a full-ride to any Colorado university. “I’ve been working towards this scholarship since the eighth grade,” Gutierrez said. “It’s always been in the back of my mind, and many times in the front, for four years. I was pretty shocked when I found out I got
INSIDE THE WINDOW
it.” Gutierrez plans on majoring in strategic communications. She said her experience working on The Lake began her love for journalism. A trip to the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference last summer in Washington D.C. solidified her hunger to report the news. “The conference was the most amazing experience of my life,” she said. “At one point the breaking news phone rang at USA Today while we were there and I felt like I was totally where I belonged in that news chaos. After that I had no doubt in my mind that I could wake up and do journalism and be the happiest person.” Gutierrez says she’ll do any journalism job, as long as she’s reporting. But her dream job would be reporting on politics. “I think Chuck Todd is the best,” she said. “I love politics, but I don’t want to be involved in them. I just want to write about them.”
Chaye Gutierrez from Standley Lake High School was selected as a recipient of the Boettcher Foundation Scholarship. Boettcher Scholars are awarded full-ride, merit-based scholarships to attend a college or university within Colorado. Courtesy photo
CHARGING INTO HISTORY
Appliance retailer expands into larger facility. Page 4 Annual gathering brings tellers of tales together. Page 8 LIFE: Edge Theater’s latest is epic in miniature. Page 10 SPORTS: Playoffs in view for Horizon. Page 23
POSTAL ADDRESS
Eighth grade students from Century Middle School, Westgate Community School and the Stargate School participate in the reenactment of the Battle of Antietam on April 23 at Lake Village Park in Thornton. The schools worked with nonprofit You Can Live History to put on the production. Photo by Ashley Reimers
WESTMINSTER WINDOW
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Northglenn to launch transparency site
A legal newspaper of general circulation in Adams County, Colorado, the Westminster Window is published weekly on Thursday by MetroNorth Newspapers, 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210, Westminster, CO 80031. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WESTMINSTER, COLORADO and additional mailing offices.
Financial information will be posted by city
POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031
Northglenn residents looking for financial information on their city will now have a much easier experience. Instead of searching through hundreds of documents online, people will have access to a new website, www.northglennco.opengov.com, which will transform volumes of raw financial data into an interactive, digital format. The website launches May 1. “The appeal to this program is the fact that it’s interactive and updated,” said Jason Loveland, finance director for Northglenn. “We want people to have information at their fingertips at all times. And we want to provide this sooner, rather than later.” The new website is powered by OpenGov, a cloud-based financial transparency platform for state and local governments. Northglenn’s website will display five years of government
DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. GE T SO CI AL WITH US
P LE AS E R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
By Ashley Reimers
areimers@coloradocommunitymedia.com
NAVIGATION TIPS • Use the Show drop-down to see data that is of most interest to you. • Use the Broken Down By drop-down to specify the category you would like the data organized by in a chart or graph. • Select the Filtered By option to view data filters which allow you select exactly which data you want to include or exclude from a graph or chart. • Use the Search function within each filter to find exactly what you are looking for. Use the Help drop-down in the top right corner to: • View a short How-To Guide with tips on navigating the platform. • Recall the Welcome screen. • View the Budget 101 primer. • Contact the administrators of the account. spending and revenue detail in a user-friendly portal. Loveland said the website will be helpful not only to residents, but also to staff, elected officials and the media.
People will be able to view the current year’s budget data or look at multiple years at the same time and dive into information on funds, department budgets, expenses or revenue types. “The information provided is the really nitty-gritty stuff,” said Margo Aldrich, Northglenn communications manager. “You can find out how much is spent on parks and streets or even how much animal control is spending on supplies. It’s that specific and detailed.” The city, Loveland said, will also be able to track activity on the site and gain feedback on how people are using the site and what they’re viewing. There will be pre-identified questions on the site with answers just a click away and quick-links. A link to the site will also be posted on the city’s website, northglenn.org. Northglenn is the first city in the state to launch an OpenGov website. Cost for the program is $7,000 per year. “Support for this initiative has been overwhelmingly positive,” Loveland said. “City council, the mayor and city leadership are all on board with making this information available.”